A new report from the British Ecological Society combines the insights of over 40 academics, practitioners, and farmers across the UK to evaluate the evidence that regenerative agriculture practices can deliver positive outcomes, such as enhancing soil health, boosting biodiversity, and reducing environmental impact.
Dr Roy Neilson, soil ecologist at the James Hutton Institute and one of the lead authors who responded to a call for expertise, said, “There are five principles of regenerative agriculture but there’s no one principle that delivers clear change on its own. To achieve meaningful change requires a good understanding of the context of the individual farming system. When possible, multiple principles ideally need to be adopted.”
Among the core principles of regenerative farming — minimizing soil disturbance, reducing bare soil, increasing farm diversity, integrating livestock, and prioritizing nature-based methods over synthetic inputs — the report highlights that the strongest evidence of benefits comes from minimizing bare soil. Bare, brown fields are commonly seen across the UK during winter, but practices like using cover crops to keep roots in the ground year-round can boost soil organic matter, improve soil structure, enhance nutrient availability, and support biodiversity, according to a press release.
The report also finds solid evidence that integrating livestock into arable land helps with weed, disease, and pest control. However, the evidence for the benefits of reducing soil disturbance through no-till or minimum-till farming in UK conditions is weaker, despite its central role in regenerative agriculture principles.
Overall, the report concludes that regenerative agricultural practices can improve soil health and biodiversity in the UK, but a holistic, systems-based approach is essential. While individual regenerative principles may not be enough on their own, the authors encourage farmers to adopt even a few new practices to start seeing benefits.
Advancing technologies and ongoing experimentation will be crucial to this transition. Professor Nicola Randall from Harper Adams University, a lead author of the report, emphasized, “Science and ecologists have a major role to play in regenerative agriculture alongside farmers. There’s a common belief that regenerative or nature-friendly farming is a step backward, returning to old farming methods. In reality, there are many exciting new technologies and developments involved. The movement is forward-looking.”
With 70% of land in Scotland used for farming, it is essential that this land benefits both food production and nature. Regenerative agriculture, with its focus on soil restoration, addresses both needs and is gaining increasing attention from farmers, governments, and corporations.
The Scottish Government has expressed its ambition for Scotland to become a world leader in regenerative agriculture, supporting research at The James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
To successfully transition to a more sustainable farming future, the report recommends fostering knowledge-sharing between farmers, ecologists, and policymakers.
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